Pumping out Hummers and other greed-is-good models during the S.U.V. glory years
had something to do with that. But the post-bankruptcy G.M. is not just getting
with the program, it is stamping its name above the fold.
G.M.’s Chevrolet Spark EV is the most efficient electric vehicle sold in America (though only in California and Oregon for the time being) with a federal gasoline-equivalent rating of 119 miles per gallon.
Now the Chevy Cruze, already among the highest-mileage compact sedans running on gasoline, raises its bar: with a rating of 46 m.p.g., the 2014 Cruze Turbo Diesel achieves the best highway mileage of any new nonhybrid car in America.
The Cruze also becomes the first Chevy diesel since the 1986 Chevette. Weighing the Cruze against that Chevette — the latter’s engine as pitiful as the car itself — shows how far the technology has come. It also illustrates how G.M. is building world-competitive small cars after decades of bumbling indifference.
G.M. has sold more than two million Cruzes globally since the car’s overseas debut in 2009, including more than 125,000 with diesel engines. Popular and right-sized, with some of the lowest warranty costs of any Chevy, the Cruze was G.M.’s ideal choice to reintroduce a diesel to America, said Josh Tavel, the vehicle performance manager for G.M.’s small cars.
G.M. prepped this Ohio-built Cruze with myriad changes to both the gasoline version — including a Cruze Eco that hits 42 m.p.g. on the highway, albeit with a manual transmission — and international diesel models. The idea was to banish any trace of old-school diesel noise, smell and sluggishness.
“We all know what the old diesel myths are, so we really looked to dispel them,” Mr. Tavel said.
The 2-liter engine, developed by G.M.’s European division, Opel, injects fuel as many as five times per engine cycle. Engineers tinkered with 33,000 calibration parameters for the diesel, compared with some 12,000 to 17,000 for G.M.’s typical gasoline engines.
The resulting turbocharged engine is more powerful and slightly more efficient than VW’s same-size diesel in the Jetta TDI sedan. The Chevy’s 151 horsepower and 264 pound-feet of torque compare with 140 and 236 for the Jetta. On fuel economy, the Chevy takes the highway crown, at a rated 46 m.p.g. versus the Jetta’s 42. But the Jetta’s city rating of 30 m.p.g. beats the Cruze’s by 3 m.p.g.
The Cruze is quicker off the line than the VW, burbling to 60 m.p.h. in a reasonable 8.6 seconds. And like just about every modern diesel, the Cruze’s bounteous torque makes the car feel surprisingly muscular in real-world driving. With 15.6 gallons of fuel aboard, the Chevy can cover nearly 720 miles to a tank, enough to drive from Detroit to New York with nearly 100 miles to spare.
Like many diesels in the United States, which has far stricter regulations on smog-forming nitrogen oxides than Europe, the Chevy carries a small onboard tank of urea that’s injected into the exhaust stream to neutralize pollution.
VW wins that battle; its 4-cylinder diesels meet 50-state emissions rules with no need for a urea tank. Chevy owners must refill theirs every 10,000 to 15,000 miles.
While the Cruze’s engine is already quieter than rackety old-school diesels, the car adopted extra sound padding from its pricier cousin, the Buick Verano. A structural brace on the engine cradle counteracts vibration from the higher idle speed.
The gasoline Cruze is already among the most hushed cars in its class. But in some situations, Chevy says the diesel is measurably quieter than the gas engine.
The engine was also retuned to optimize power and efficiency at the lower engine speeds where Americans tend to drive. All six gears of the automatic transmission (no stick shift is offered) were remapped.
G.M.’s Chevrolet Spark EV is the most efficient electric vehicle sold in America (though only in California and Oregon for the time being) with a federal gasoline-equivalent rating of 119 miles per gallon.
Now the Chevy Cruze, already among the highest-mileage compact sedans running on gasoline, raises its bar: with a rating of 46 m.p.g., the 2014 Cruze Turbo Diesel achieves the best highway mileage of any new nonhybrid car in America.
The Cruze also becomes the first Chevy diesel since the 1986 Chevette. Weighing the Cruze against that Chevette — the latter’s engine as pitiful as the car itself — shows how far the technology has come. It also illustrates how G.M. is building world-competitive small cars after decades of bumbling indifference.
G.M. has sold more than two million Cruzes globally since the car’s overseas debut in 2009, including more than 125,000 with diesel engines. Popular and right-sized, with some of the lowest warranty costs of any Chevy, the Cruze was G.M.’s ideal choice to reintroduce a diesel to America, said Josh Tavel, the vehicle performance manager for G.M.’s small cars.
G.M. prepped this Ohio-built Cruze with myriad changes to both the gasoline version — including a Cruze Eco that hits 42 m.p.g. on the highway, albeit with a manual transmission — and international diesel models. The idea was to banish any trace of old-school diesel noise, smell and sluggishness.
“We all know what the old diesel myths are, so we really looked to dispel them,” Mr. Tavel said.
The 2-liter engine, developed by G.M.’s European division, Opel, injects fuel as many as five times per engine cycle. Engineers tinkered with 33,000 calibration parameters for the diesel, compared with some 12,000 to 17,000 for G.M.’s typical gasoline engines.
The resulting turbocharged engine is more powerful and slightly more efficient than VW’s same-size diesel in the Jetta TDI sedan. The Chevy’s 151 horsepower and 264 pound-feet of torque compare with 140 and 236 for the Jetta. On fuel economy, the Chevy takes the highway crown, at a rated 46 m.p.g. versus the Jetta’s 42. But the Jetta’s city rating of 30 m.p.g. beats the Cruze’s by 3 m.p.g.
The Cruze is quicker off the line than the VW, burbling to 60 m.p.h. in a reasonable 8.6 seconds. And like just about every modern diesel, the Cruze’s bounteous torque makes the car feel surprisingly muscular in real-world driving. With 15.6 gallons of fuel aboard, the Chevy can cover nearly 720 miles to a tank, enough to drive from Detroit to New York with nearly 100 miles to spare.
Like many diesels in the United States, which has far stricter regulations on smog-forming nitrogen oxides than Europe, the Chevy carries a small onboard tank of urea that’s injected into the exhaust stream to neutralize pollution.
VW wins that battle; its 4-cylinder diesels meet 50-state emissions rules with no need for a urea tank. Chevy owners must refill theirs every 10,000 to 15,000 miles.
While the Cruze’s engine is already quieter than rackety old-school diesels, the car adopted extra sound padding from its pricier cousin, the Buick Verano. A structural brace on the engine cradle counteracts vibration from the higher idle speed.
The gasoline Cruze is already among the most hushed cars in its class. But in some situations, Chevy says the diesel is measurably quieter than the gas engine.
The engine was also retuned to optimize power and efficiency at the lower engine speeds where Americans tend to drive. All six gears of the automatic transmission (no stick shift is offered) were remapped.
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